Steep bread and diesel price hikes went into force in government-held parts of war-torn Syria on Sunday, bringing more pain for civilians in a long-running economic crisis.

Failure to renew a cross-border aid operation into Syria before it expires next month could trigger a new "humanitarian catastrophe" in rebel-held areas in the northwest, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

Syrian government shelling on the rebel-controlled enclave of Idlib Monday killed at least nine people, including four civilians, a war monitor reported.

Syrian authorities are working on extinguishing a fire that erupted in its main Homs refinery in the west of the nation, state media said on Sunday.

Qatar Charity (QC) has started implementing qualitative water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects to benefit 500,000 people in northwestern Syria, as part of its efforts to alleviate their daily suffering.

Residents of rebel-held parts of northern Syria began receiving coronavirus vaccinations Saturday, an AFP reporter said, with medics among the first to be inoculated.

Syrian regime artillery fire killed six civilians including a child when it hit a hospital in the last major rebel bastion of Idlib on Sunday, a war monitor said.

Qatar Charity (QC) said its field teams continue distributing aid to the internally displaced within Syria as part of its Qatar Relief Conveys drive.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday.

With funding from Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is implementing a project to build the capacity of health workers in northern Syria under the Quest Health 2020 initiative.

Missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said Saturday

US air strikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria killed at least one fighter and wounded several others in what US officials said was a calibrated response to rocket attacks against American personnel in Iraq.